Tuesday, 29 January 2013

Have you ever found yourself struggling to write something, to the point you think you'll have to shelve it, only for a sudden flash of inspiration to hit you and make it all better? That was me yesterday. For weeks, my WIP was fighting me, but I think I've finally got a handle on it which is awesome because I really want to get it finished! It's a while away from being complete, but it's good to get it moving again. Today will definitely be a fiction writing day!

And now, to announce the winners of my Blogiversary giveaway!

Winners of an ebook of Game On OR Blindsided OR If I Let You Go
Krista J. McLaughlin
Viklit

Wednesday, 23 January 2013

Today, we welcome the wonderful Elizabeth Seckman to the blog! Elizabeth is in the middle of her blog tour for Healing Summer, so I'll hand over to her to talk about one of my favourite things - food!

Book Blurb:

Maybe Love, Not Time, Heals All Wounds

Ditched at the altar…biopsied for cancer…Mollie Hinkle is having a bona fide bitch of a summer. Whenlife sucks so hard it takes your breath away, what's a girl to do? Pack a bag, grab a few friends, andleave the past and the worry in the rear view mirror. What wounds can’t be healed by a drive acrossthe Heartland, where quarter flips at cross roads determine the route and the future? All roads lead toCraig, the second son and bad boy of the haughty Coulter line. Has fate brought her to the minisculeMontana town to find happily ever after or will it just break her heart?

“Healing Summer” is the second book in the Coulter Men Series.

**

Hello Kyra!!!

You asked me to be a free spirit…to write
about whatever is on my mind.

Welp, that’s usually food.

So, let’s talk food.

First up is straight from HEALING SUMMER!

Mollie makes Craig a Mollie special.

It’s basically an Italian sub, but since
Mollie is from the Northeast, she calls it a grinder.

And they’re easy:

Layer to your liking on a loaf of Italian
bread: hard salami, ham, sandwich pepperoni, and bologna. Then add cheese
(provolone, mozzarella are my first picks). Top with lettuce, tomato, banana
peppers, onions, black olives, pickles, green peppers…ah heck just throw any
and all veggies on there you like! Then smother in mayo and Italian dressing.
Wrap it up in tin foil and bake in the oven. How long you ask? I never timed
one. I usually pull it out when it starts to smell good and the cheese is
melty.

Okay, so this is ripped right from the
Italian restaurant down the street and nothing new.

But the side is my own (at least I had
never had it before!)

I wanted an alternative to nachos and
cheese…and I wanted to up my family’s intake of wonderfully healthy black
beans.

This is so easy and delicious…even my
pickiest eater loves it!

Drain and rinse 1 can of black beans. Pour
them in a blender. Add to the beans 1 package of fat free cream cheese and
about 6 ounces of salsa (I just pour half of the big jar…I’m not really a
measurer!) and blend it all together. Use as a dip for tortilla chips. So, hey
it won’t qualify as health food, but it beats the standard junk!

Tuesday, 22 January 2013

Wowzers. It was a whole year ago since I wrote my first tentative post about what I hoped to get out of blogging, and what I wanted to do on my writing journey. The WIP I was working on back then is now permanently shelved. Well, actually it's been ripped into pieces and used for spare parts lol, but I always thought that one would be the first book I ever published. Now it won't be published at all - at least not in its original form.

One year on, I've published two novels and a novella, made some amazing writing friends, entered bloghops galore, and just had a load of fun getting to know all of you guys! I thank you so much for your support, and I hope you continue to stay with me!

To celebrate my 1 year blogiversary, there is, of course, a giveaway!

a Rafflecopter giveaway
P.S I am scheduling this post in advance and there is a good chance the "Follow Via GFC" option might not work LOL!
Good luck guys, and thanks again for everything!

Friday, 18 January 2013

I know how awesome the blogging community is when people need help - so I'm calling on you to see if you might be able to give some advice to a friend of mine.

A question was posed in a Facebook group I belong to, and I really wanted to give good advice, but my knowledge of MG is a little off. Here's the post:

I'd
really like to try my hand at children's books, but I know that's a
tough market to crack. I think that genre is probably more suited to
print than ebooks, and honestly, I'd really like to see my name (or pen
name) in actual print.

I'm guessing that there would be more
overhead involved, because children's book need illustrations and I
can't draw a straight line with a ruler, nor a stick person that anyone
would recognize. Would I be better off to start thinking in another
direction, something I can complete myself, that wouldn't require the
services of an illustrator? Young Adult perhaps?

Do people even
buy/download children's books? I'm thinking books you'd read to a baby
or young child, but one that they could point to pictures of, etc. I
don't see that being a good fit for digital. Thoughts?

Question 1: Do any of you know if young children's books sell well as ebooks, or are they better suited to print?

Question 2: How about MG books? Do they sell better as ebooks?

Question 3: Is the YA market too over-saturated, or is it worth taking a crack at?

Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

(I will be back next week as it's my blogiversary and there will be a giveaway! Have a great weekend!)

On the rooftop of neighboring building, dragonslayer Xanthus Ehrensvard fires at his target, Governor Whittaker. How he missed the shot, he doesn't know, but fleeing the scene, he picks up an unwanted passenger. Gorgeous reporter Lois King saw Xan's face, and she believes it's the story to make her career. Except he can't let her walk away knowing what he looks like. Xan has to show her the Governor is a bigger threat to the world than he is.

Xan knows dragons never went extinct. They evolved with human society, taking on mortal forms, and slithered their way into positions of great influence and power, just like the Governor. But it's no easy chore proving to someone that dragons still exist, and even more so, they're disguised as famous people. Xan must convince Lois or find another way to silence her. An option, as he gets to know her, he likes less and less.

After all, dragonslayers are no longer celebrated heroes but outlaws. Just as the dragons wish it. But this outlaw must make a plan to slay the dragon or risk its retribution.

Author Bio:
Christine Rains is a writer, blogger, and geek mom. She has four degrees which help nothing with motherhood, but make her a great Jeopardy player. When she's not writing or reading, she having adventures with her son or watching cheesy movies on Syfy Channel. She's a member of S.C.I.F.I.

The 13th Floor series is her first self-published series. She has four novellas and eighteen short stories published.

Wednesday, 16 January 2013

Hey everyone! Christine Rains is back with 1302 - The Alpha, and I guarantee it will be every bit as brilliant as 1301 - The Marquis! Today, Christine talks about the romance in the story - take it away, Christine!

1302 – The Alpha guest post for Kyra

By Christine Rains

STEFANIE AND JAMES

Pack life was all Stefanie Porter had ever
known. When her parents passed away and left her as the Alpha werewolf of the
Nicolet Pack, she could deal with it. Young as she was, she was strong. Until
Wyatt showed up with his loyal dogs. He challenged Stefanie for leadership and
won. She wasn't strong enough after all. When a wolf loses a fight for
leadership, they're exiled from the pack's territory, but Wyatt wanted her to
submit to him and become his mate. No way. Stefanie ran, and the pack began its
hunt.

Lone wolves are rare because packs hunt and
kill them. Yet it's much easier to hide when you don't have a scent to track.
James Roberts may not be powerful, but he's clever and has a fondness for
graphic novels. He uses his supernatural powers to help victims of crime. A
superhero perched on top of a building, sniffing out evil-doers. No, he doesn't
wear a mask or cape. Really, those things would just get in the way.

James helps Stefanie get away from her
former pack one night. He's intrigued by her, and she wants to know his secret
of being able to hide his scent. If she could do that, Wyatt and the other
wolves wouldn't be able to track her. Not that Stefanie wants James to get
involved in Wyatt's deadly game, but she has to risk it or spend the rest of
her life running. James might be a bit geeky, but there's something about him
that she finds hard to resist. As Stefanie gets to know him, it's no longer
about using him to learn a new trick. She needs to protect the man she cares
about from those that will certainly rip him to shreds.

Stefanie and James are one of my favorite
couples. I twisted the usual werewolf relationship and made her the Alpha.
She's the dominant one. Fierce, strong, and protective. Obviously James quite
likes it! I think I'm a little in love with him. Smart, compassionate, and a
superhero wannabe. He's proof geeks can be sexy.

**

Title: 1302
– The Alpha

Author: Christine
Rains

Genre: paranormal
romance

Release date:
January 13th, 2013

One run in the woods wouldn't matter, or so thinks werewolf Stefanie
Porter. Being cooped up in her apartment for months must have messed
up her instincts, because her former pack almost catches her until a
mysterious lone wolf jumps in to help Stefanie escape.

The cruel Alpha Wyatt not only stole her pack but refuses to give
Stefanie her freedom. She can't hide in her apartment any longer or
it will drive her crazy. She puts her trust in the lone wolf who can
teach her some of his unusual urban survival tricks. James Roberts might
be a bit geeky, but he's smart and looks hot when the argyle sweater
comes off. His ridiculous ambition to become a superhero might be admirable
if Wyatt couldn't rip him limb from limb.

With the pack scouring the city for her, Stefanie must convince James
to teach her and control her own Alpha nature, or fight not only for
her life, but his as well.

Author Bio:

Christine Rains
is a writer, blogger, and geek mom. She has four degrees which help
nothing with motherhood, but make her a great Jeopardy player. When
she's not writing or reading, she having adventures with her son or
watching cheesy movies on Syfy Channel. She's a member of S.C.I.F.I.
The 13th Floor series is her first self-published series.
She has three novellas and sixteen short stories published.

Monday, 14 January 2013

And so begins another week! How we are halfway through January already, I have no idea!

Thanks to all of you for your input about editing Game On and re-writing If I Let You Go. I had a look back over Game On and it isn't half as bad as I thought it was. In my head, it's a big mess of horrendous word use and bad grammar. The reality is - it's actually pretty good. Well, I think so, anyway lol! So, I might just leave it be. But there will be more IILYG from the male POV soon-ish.

Last week I set my first ever list of goals. Well, the first list I've ever made public, anyway. Here's what I achieved:

Schedule all blog posts I have for other bloggers to promote/reveal covers so I don't have to do it at the last minute - DONE!

Post prizes from Blindsided Blog Tour (Some have already gone out, but I still have more to do) All but one have been posted now. I should get to the last one this week.

Write up guest post for Cassie Mae's blog and email it Done and emailed.

Read a couple more chapters of The Fire In Fiction - Fail. But in my defense, I got Save The Cat this week, and read that instead!

Finish Rouge by Leigh Talbert Moore - I'm nearly done, but I keep getting distracted by all the other things I need to do Done, and then I also read Ocean Kills by Jade Hart, which might I say, is a work of genius!

Quit daydreaming, I don't have time (LOL!)- I failed here, but most of you said it's okay to daydream so I don't feel too guilty. :p

Oh ... and write! Hmm. I did some writing, so I guess that counts. For the most part, though, my WIP stressed me out and I didn't know what to do with it. Hopefully this week it will be easier.

I'm not setting any goals for this week, mainly because I'm not sure what I'll have time for just yet. I have a bunch of stuff happening at home so I will just do what I can and get back to my goals next week. :D Happy Monday, everyone!

Friday, 11 January 2013

Today Annalisa Crawford is announcing her first bloghop, which I am co-hosting with her.

Annalisa will be celebrating the one year anniversary of her novella Cat and The Dreamer next month, so on the 1st February we are hosting the Imaginary Friend Bloghop.

If you've read Cat and The Dreamer you'll know that Julia, the main character, has a big imagination, and she has an imaginary enemy.

We want to know about your imaginary friend. What were they called? How old were you? Were they naughty or nice? If you didn't have one, were there ever times when you could really have used one? Did you ever set fire to your mum's favourite rug and have to take the blame yourself?

Annalisa will be offering a £10/$10 Amazon gift voucher for her favourite post, and I'll be offering a three chapter critique for mine.

Alll you have to do is follow my blog, and Annalisa's blog, sign up below and be ready to share your real or imaginary imaginary friend stories on 1st February!

Wednesday, 9 January 2013

Hey guys - that writing things down in front of everyone REALLY works! I have only one thing left on my to-do list to complete, yay!

I feel a little more accomplished now, even though I am stuck with my current WIP. But lately I've been thinking a lot about the books I already have out in the world.

I think everyone believes their first book could be a little bit better. But lately I have been itching to re-edit Game On. I know it's not terrible. My CPs wouldn't have let me publish something terrible, but I have learned so much in the last six months, that maybe I need to apply some of that to the story. Nothing will change in terms of the plot - I'm completely happy with the way the story plays out. I just want to make it tidier. One of my missions will be to edit a couple chapters a day and re-submit it to Amazon when it's as sparkly and shiny as I want it to be.

Then there's If I Let You Go. It was only meant to be a novella - but many, many reviewers felt I missed an opportunity for brilliance by making it so short. I know it's fluff, that's what it was meant to be, and I kinda love it. In terms of writing skill, it's probably the best thing I've ever written and landed me in the Top 15 of Amazon's short stories. But over Christmas, a very nice lady emailed me and asked if I'd considered writing the whole story again from the male POV. Technically, I hadn't. I considered it when I was I was writing IILYG, but once I was done, well, I was done. And now I don't know what to do. I definitely want to explore it from the other side but I don't know if anyone else would want to read the same story again told ... backwards, as it were. So, I guess I'm seeking opinions - both from people who read IILYG and those who haven't. Would you want to read the same story from a different POV? Or should I just be happy with that I wrote the first time. (And I am, I really am!)

Another thing that has recently been mentioned is the A-Z Challenge. As someone who doesn't plan more than a few days in advance, this made me whimper. Anyone else out there decided whether to participate this year?

Tuesday, 8 January 2013

It’s stupid to fall for your brother’s ex. It’s even worse to enlist another’s help to win the ex over. But Brody is desperate and Hayley, his partner in American Sign Language, is more than willing to lend him a few tips.
She’s the school’s matchmaker,’ and with her bizarre and positive personality, Brody finds her easy to talk to, even about the most awkward situations. Hayley’s tips seem to be working, but as Brody learns more about his matchmaker, he starts finding reasons to spend time with her, and not the girl he thought he was in love with.
But Hayley isn’t ready to fall for anyone. Labeled the “Funny Fat Friend” within her group, her self image makes it impossible for Brody to share his feelings without Hayley shrugging it off as a joke.
Convincing her Brody can, and did, fall for the “Funny Fat Friend” turns out to be harder than simply falling in love.

**

YES, the wonderful Becca Ann is releasing her debut novel today and let me tell you, it's awesome! I whipped through this story in a day, and it would have been quicker, but I kept putting it down because I really, really didn't want it to end so I tried to stretch it out for longer! Didn't work. Couldn't keep away. You can read my review here. :D

Monday, 7 January 2013

I often see people writing out their weekly or monthly goals on their blog, and it's a great idea. I've never done it before, but this week I REALLY need it. I've got a bunch of leftover stuff from last year I need to finish off, plus some new things to work on and if I don't write them down and make myself accountable - I might put it off forever! I doubt I'll make this a regular thing but when I really need to get my bum in gear, I will write out what needs to be done for everyone to see. Feel free to throw things at me next week if I haven't ticked most of it off!

Schedule all blog posts I have for other bloggers to promote/reveal covers so I don't have to do it at the last minute

Post prizes from Blindsided Blog Tour (Some have already gone out, but I still have more to do)

Write up guest post for Cassie Mae's blog and email it

Read a couple more chapters of The Fire In Fiction

Finish Rouge by Leigh Talbert Moore - I'm nearly done, but I keep getting distracted by all the other things I need to do

Quit daydreaming, I don't have time (LOL!)

Oh ... and write!

Argh, it looks scary when written down lbut I like that it isn't just spinning around in my brain anymore! Time to get moving!

Wednesday, 2 January 2013

Welcome to the first IWSG of 2013! Alex J. Cavanaugh set up this awesome event so writers can discuss their insecurities and find support within the blogging community! Thank you, Alex!

When I first started blogging, I threw myself into it by commenting on a million blogs, entering every bloghop in existence and basically running myself ragged trying to get everything done. Frankly, it was the best thing to do because it helped me find some awesome people and taught me a whole bunch of things I'd never have learned otherwise. By the end of 2012, I was tired. I found myself skipping bloghops, and posting and commenting a lot less.

For 2013, I'd like to find a balance. I LOVE blogging and communicating with people but I also need to remember that I can't do everything. I have to live in the real world, I have to write, I have to do many other things as well as blogging. So, I guess my insecurity is that I might not be able to find that balance, and that if I take too much time away, people will forget about me.

I'll keep working at it, and hopefully everything will fall into place very soon!